New coach and impact players: 3 things to know about Oakmont girls lacrosse this season
ASHBURNHAM ― Although as the clocked ticked down and there was no longer hope for a comeback victory, the Oakmont girls lacrosse team did not walk off the field with heads hung low.
After falling behind by five goals against Groton-Dunstable in the third quarter, the Spartans found the energy they needed to fight back and trimmed the deficit to one.
A valiant effort by Oakmont was not forgotten even when the Crusaders continued to push and finished with an 11-8 win. Early in the season, the Spartans' skill and chemistry was evident despite the tough loss. Here are the three things seeming to work in Oakmont's favor so far this season.
New leadership
Gina McCullin has taken over as the varsity head coach after four years leading the JV program. Stepping into McCullin's former role as JV coach is Cali Laakso, a 2019 St. Bernard's grad who also played for four years on the Fitchburg State women's lacrosse team.
McCullin is hopeful for the success of the team, after it finished with a .500 record last season and have some new additions to the team that can help.
Focus of the season
The biggest focus early this season is to bond on the field and play together seamlessly. A lot of those aspects were shown on Tuesday.
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The Crusaders' goalie, Charlotte Guziejka, was a challenge for Oakmont to get past and totaled nine saves.
"They feel that they are playing together as a family and I think that will bring us success this season," McCullin said.
Impact players
Junior Meg Heffernan is a key returner for the Spartans this season. Her poise and leadership on the field helps to guide the team. She scored six goals in Oakmont's 15-7 victory over Bromfield.
"I think right now we are still working to get where we want to be and I think in the next few games once we put it all together, I think we can have a good comeback to the end of our season," Heffernan said. "I think we can win against a lot of the teams we lost against (last year) and it's in the works."
Another contributor this year is sophomore Julia LaPrade, who is breaking out early in the season. LaPrade scored three goals against Groton-Dunstable and displayed her clear potential through the way she commanded possessions and acted as a playmaker.
Her speed helped to continue an offensive push, allowing Oakmont to get opportunities to score.
With young talent like LaPrade and other veterans like Heffernan, Hailey Bosselait and goalie Annika Salila, Oakmont is on track to make some noise this season.
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"I think we're definitely communicating which is a big part of lacrosse and we're working as units, in our offensive and defensive unit, which is a positive I'm noticing so far," LaPrade said.
Oakmont is currently 1-2.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: New coach McCullin excited to lead Oakmont girls lacrosse
